Planting My Feet

My joints felt stiff, locked mid-stance on the smooth wood. I tested my weight, shifting slightly onto my front heel. The wooden surface below was firm and warm from the morning air. Ahead, another golden figure stood frozen, while a fallen blue-haired companion lay motionless near my boot. I loosened my forward hand, flexed my fingers one by one, and lightly tapped the dark flat edge of the television stand with my toe to gauge its balance. Solid. I am steady, grounded, and ready.